GATES HAS A HANDLE ON BALL SECURITY

Fumble vs. Eagles rare event in career

“The way he and Philip have been for a number of years, I think they could go out there and practice in blindfolds and complete balls to one another. Philip understands his body language, his techniques and routes versus coverages, and they make the game look easy.”

“We’re conforming to this system,” said Rivers. “But in a lot of ways, it’s like (the coaches saying) ‘Hey, I know y’all have thrown a million reads, so just keep on doing it how you’ve been doing it.’ There’s been a nice give and take.”

Against opponents, Gates generally doesn’t give anything except a hard time. Ball security would appear to be a trait of the NFL’s elite tight ends, namely, Gates and Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

Astonishingly, Atlanta’s Gonzalez hasn’t fumbled the ball since 1999, losing just two of six over his 16-plus seasons and 1.549 catches. Dallas’ Witten, who entered the league the same year as Gates, has lost three of only five fumbles and none since 2010.

“When you work in the middle of the field, it’s second nature to know when guys are coming at you,” said Gates. “It’s like you have a clock going off in your mind.”